Also called: Certified Orthoptist
Diagnoses and treats eye-movement problems like crossed eyes and lazy eye, mostly in kids.
Uses prisms, flashlights, and colorful toys to test how a preschooler's eyes work together, recommends patching or glasses, and helps the pediatric eye surgeon plan muscle surgery.
Estimate; fewer than 1,000 practice in the US.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's plus a 2-year orthoptic fellowship and certification.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Biology, Psychology.
Growing about average. Tiny, in-demand specialty.
Low risk for 10 years. Little automation: testing how a preschooler's eyes team up with prisms and toys is hands-on and personal.
Classes: Biology, Physics (optics), Child development.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-1299.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.